Domestic violence and children
A reading list
January 2012
A detailed list of published material on domestic violence covering:
Guidance and government policy on domestic violence
England
Responding to violence against women and children: the role of the NHS: the report of the taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children (PDF).
Taskforce on the Health Aspects of Violence Against Women and Children
[London]: Department of Health (DH), 2010
Report of the independent taskforce set up to identify the role and response of the NHS in relation to violence against women and children and to make recommendations on what more could be done to meet their needs. Makes recommendations around improving the early identification of victims; enhancing the quality of and access to services; raising awareness of violence against women and children; training and development; and partnership working.
Violence against women and girls: advisory group final report and recommendations (PDF).
[London]: Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), 2010
The full report from the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Advisory Group, which outlines legislation to prevent violence and makes recommendations on tackling the problem. Recommendations include providing guidance to help schools prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, all young people to be taught about gender equality in PSHE, and teachers to be given clear advice on how to deal with suspected cases of violence.
Improving safety, reducing harm: children, young people and domestic violence: a practical toolkit for front-line practitioners (PDF).
London: Department of Health (DH), 2009
Practical toolkit for frontline practitioners providing information on children experiencing domestic violence and aiming to help practitioners understand what legislation and guidance mean for them and their work. Includes an overview of Every Child Matters (ECM), principles of commissioning services, risk assessment, guidance for schools, explanations of key standards and policies and practical examples and standard forms.
Safeguarding children abused through domestic violence (PDF).
London: London Safeguarding Children Board, 2008
Presents a procedure for safeguarding children abused through domestic violence to help professionals prioritise the needs of children, assess the risk of harm to the children (taking into consideration the needs of their parents or carers) and respond appropriately in sharing information and referring on. Covers vulnerable families, substance misuse and ill health, barriers to disclosure, enabling disclosure, assessment and intervention and safety planning.
Northern Ireland
Tackling violence at home: a strategy for addressing domestic violence and abuse in Northern Ireland (PDF).
Stormont: Northern Ireland. Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, 2005
Sets out Government strategy in Northern Ireland for tackling domestic violence and abuse in the 3 key areas of prevention; protection and justice; and support. Aims of the strategy include: to improve services and support for all victims of domestic violence; to develop and deliver a high quality, co-ordinated multi-agency response to domestic violence; and to educate children and young people and the wider general public that domestic violence is unacceptable and to enable them to make informed choices.
Scotland
National domestic abuse delivery plan for children and young people (PDF).
Edinburgh: Scottish Government, 2008
Sets out a common framework based on 'Getting it right for every child' principles and values and the aims of the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland (2000). The framework recognises Government's definition of domestic abuse as 'gender based abuse', requiring a response that takes into account and addresses the persistent inequalities between men and women in Scotland.
Wales
The right to be safe (PDF).
[Cardiff]: Welsh Assembly Government, 2010
The Welsh Assembly Government's six year integrated strategy for tackling all forms of violence against women including domestic abuse. Outlines the key national priorities which have been identified, including honour based violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and national training to ensure professionals in all sectors recognise and know how to deal with violence against women and the potential impact on children.
Live fear free.[Cardiff]: Welsh Assembly Government, 2011
The Welsh Assembly Government's campaign website against domestic abuse. Resources include: a video discussing how domestic abuse can affect children and content relating to the protection of children living with family violence.
Resources for professionals working with children and families living with domestic violence
Picking up the pieces after domestic violence: a practical resource for supporting parenting skills.
Iwi, Kate, and Newman, Chris
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2011
Provides practical guidance and exercises to help practitioners work in a structured and focused way with parents (both perpetrator and victim) after domestic violence has occurred. Sets out a framework for assessing risks and needs and covers how to set goals and plan an intervention pathway. Also considers how to help parents understand the impact of domestic violence on children, child discipline in the aftermath of family violence, and parental separation. Contains handouts that can be photocopied and used with parents.
Feel safe at home: what to do if violence is happening around you (PDF, 2.17MB)
NSPCC
[London]: NSPCC, [Rev ed. 2009]
A ChildLine booklet aimed at children aged 7-12 years. Explains what domestic violence is, how it can make children feel, and how and where they can get help. Aims to help children understand that domestic violence is not their fault, and that there are people who will listen and understand.
Hear my roar: a story of family violence.
Watts, Gillian
New York: Annick Press, 2009
Comic-style book telling the story of a bear family where the father bear gets angry and violent and drinks. When the mother bear realises how it is affecting her son she seeks help from the family doctor. Mother and son leave the family home for a refuge and the doctor offers to help the father. Includes information on the mother's reactions to the abuse, the effects of domestic violence on children and how to share this book with a child. Aims to introduce the subject of domestic violence in a gentle, non-threatening way. Aimed at 6-9 year olds.
The expect respect education toolkit.
Women's Aid
Bristol: Women's Aid, 2008
Toolkit consisting of easy to use 'Core' lessons for each school year group from reception to year 13, based on themes that have been found to be effective in tackling domestic abuse. Consists of detailed lesson plans, supporting information and resources, and interactive activities for children and young people. Covers issues including: challenging assumptions about gender, power and equality; helping to resolve conflict; understanding that domestic violence is a crime; and knowing the difference between abusive and non-abusive relationships. Targeted for use by teachers but can be used by a range of other professionals working with children and young people in a variety of settings.
Expect respect leaflet (PDF).
Women's Aid
Bristol: Women's Aid, 2007
A leaflet for children and young people about healthy relationships, showing respect to others and what to do if you are experiencing abuse. Provides information on who to speak to and where to get help.
Spark learns to fly.
Foxon, Judith, and Fuller, Rachel ill.
London: British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), 2007
Picture book designed for use with young children who have been affected by domestic violence. The book is accompanied by practice guidelines for social workers, foster or adoptive parents. Aimed at 4-7 year olds.
The survivor's handbook.
Barron, Jackie
[Bristol]: Women's Aid Federation of England (WAFE), 2007. Rev. ed.
Provides practical support and information for women experiencing domestic violence, with simple guidance on every aspect of seeking support. Includes a section on domestic violence and children. Available in 12 different languages. An abbreviated audio version is also available.
Whole woman: essential information for mums (PDF, 908KB)
[London]: NSPCC, [2007]
Small booklet aimed at mothers experiencing domestic abuse. Acknowledges women's fears and encourages them to seek help for themselves and their children. Aims to help women to understand the impact of domestic violence on their children and to encourage them to move on from a position of feeling powerless to being able to take action to improve the situation.
Talking about domestic abuse: a photo activity workbook to develop communication between mothers and young people.
Humphreys, Cathy, Thiara, Ravi K., Skamballis, Agnes and Mullender, Audrey. Aral, Suzan (ill.)
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2006
An activity pack for adolescents and for children from the age of 9 years who have experienced domestic abuse. The pack aims to facilitate communication between children and their mothers, and to enable children to talk about their distressing experiences.
Talking to my mum: a picture workbook for workers, mothers and children affected by domestic violence.
Humphreys, Cathy, Thiara, Ravi K., Skamballis, Agnes and Mullender, Audrey.
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2006
This workbook is aimed at children aged 5-8 who have experienced domestic violence. It contains activities designed for children and mothers to complete together to promote quality time and encourage children to open up and talk about their experiences. The photocopiable worksheets use animal characters to help children explore a range of memories and feelings. It can be used by professionals working with families affected by domestic violence and also by mothers - either independently or with guidance from a professional.
Domestic violence: its effects on children: factsheet for parents and teachers (PDF).
Royal College of Psychiatrists
London: Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2004
Factsheet looking at the effects that domestic violence can have on children, and offers advice about how to try and avoid these problems. Aimed at parents and teachers.
Practice publications for professionals supporting children and families living with domestic violence
Domestic violence and children: a handbook for schools and early years settings.
Sterne, Abigail, and Poole, Liz
London: Routledge, 2010
Describes the impact of domestic violence on children and provides support for education and social care professionals. Provides guidance and advice on: identifying and responding to signs of distress; helping pupils to talk about and make sense of their experiences; the impact of domestic violence on parenting and how parents can be supported; the needs of young people in refuges and temporary accommodation; pupil safety and government safeguarding guidelines; educating young people and the community about domestic violence; and, specialist domestic violence services and other agencies that support schools.
Safeguarding children living with trauma and family violence: evidence-based assessment, analysis and planning interventions.
Bentovim, Arnon, and Cox, Anthony, and Miller, Liza Bingley, and Pizzey, Steph
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2009
ISBN: 9781843109389
Offers a systematic approach to evidence-based assessment and planning for children living with trauma and family violence. Analyses the impact of exposure to trauma and family violence on a child's bi-neurological development and on their capacity to form attachments and develop and reflect on relationships through childhood and adolescence into adulthood. Demonstrates how to assess and analyse the needs of the child, make specialist assessments where there are continuing safeguarding concerns (using the Assessment Framework) and plan effective child-centred and outcome-focused interventions.
Safeguarding children abused through domestic violence (PDF).
London: London Safeguarding Children Board, 2008
Presents a procedure for safeguarding children abused through domestic violence to help professionals prioritise the needs of children, assess the risk of harm to the children (taking into consideration the needs of their parents or carers) and respond appropriately in sharing information and referring on. Covers vulnerable families, substance misuse and ill health, barriers to disclosure, enabling disclosure, assessment and intervention and safety planning.
See also the
appendix and risk assessment matrix (PDF).
Making an impact: children and domestic violence: a reader. 2nd ed.
Hester, Marianne, and Pearson, Chris, and Harwin, Nicola, and Abrahams, Hilary
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2007
Part one looks at children and domestic violence including the impact of domestic abuse on children. Part two considers the legal context: making safe arrangements for children affected by domestic violence - public and private law; protection under criminal law; protection from violence under the civil law; and, protection against domestic violence under housing law. Part three discusses practice interventions: social care responses to domestic violence and abuse of children; practice and intervention with children in circumstances of domestic violence; intervention with male perpetrators of domestic violence; multi-agency involvement and co-operation; and, working with and supporting women experiencing domestic violence.
Child protection, domestic violence and parental substance misuse: family experiences and effective practice.
Cleaver, Hedy, and Nicholson, Don, and Tarr, Sukey, and Cleaver, Deborah
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2007
Aims to combine facts and research to present an authoritative overview of what is known about the destructive relationships between substance misuse, domestic violence and their effect on children. Considers the extent to which domestic violence, parental alcohol or parental drug misuse impact on children's health and development, affect adults' capacity to undertake key parenting tasks, and influence the response of wider family and the community. Presents parents' own opinions about what they feel should be done to support families in similar situations and explores the response of children's services in respect to: planning, procedures, joint protocols, training, information sharing and collaborative working.
Domestic violence and child protection: directions for good practice.
Humphreys, Cathy ed., and Stanley, Nicky ed.
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2006
Offers guidance to practitioners who need to respond simultaneously to the needs of adults experiencing domestic violence and the specific needs of children. Explores the challenges to effective work in this field and provides positive models for practice. The chapters are organised in four parts looking at issues including: multi-agency and multi-disciplinary work; children's views and needs; prevention programmes for children and young people; the role of front-line workers in responding to children living with domestic violence; using research to develop practice; the contradictions between private and public law; parental separation and divorce; risk assessment and safety planning in child protection; parenting ability of men who use violence against their partners; and men's use of violence and intimidation against family members and child protection workers.
Mothering through domestic violence.
Radford, Lorraine, and Hester, Marianne
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2006
Argues that undermining mothering - family courts and social work agencies blaming mothers for their own victimisation - plays a key role in locking women into abusive relationships and exacerbating the damage done by domestic violence. Concludes that the needs of individual victims should inform risk assessment and safety planning by welfare practitioners. Case studies explore key issues to be considered during assessment and planning, including: the psychological impact on children of living in an abusive home; mother and child protection from an abusive partner during court proceedings; and child contact with an abusive parent.
Research on children living with domestic violence
See also:
statistics on domestic violence and children.
Domestic violence, child contact, post-separation violence: issues for South Asian and African-Caribbean women and children: a report of findings.
Ravi K. Thiara and Aisha K. Gill
London: NSPCC, 2012
Reports on the findings from interviews with 45 South Asian or African-Caribbean mothers who had experienced domestic violence and have since separated from their partners, 19 children and 71 professionals. Reviews the knowledge base around domestic violence and child contact and looks at the particular issues experienced by women in these communities.
2010/2011 Scottish crime and justice survey: partner abuse (PDF).
Scottish Government, 2011
Presents the findings from 10,999 questionnaires completed by people aged 16 years and over about their experiences of partner abuse. Chapter 3.6 explores the presence of children in the household and their involvement, if any, in the most recent incident. Finds over one third (35%) of those who had experienced partner abuse in the last 12 months had dependent children living with them at the time of the most recent incident.
How intimate partner violence affects children: developmental research, case studies and evidence-based intervention.
Graham-Bermann, Sandra A. ed., and Levendosky, Alytia A. ed.
Washington: American Psychological Association, 2011
Presents research on how exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) affects children's physical health, social and emotional behaviour, cognitive functioning and neurobiological and relational development. Considers a number of evidence-based interventions from infancy through to adolescence. Also features clinical case studies of children exposed to IPV from 4 different age groups.
'Standing on my own two feet': disadvantaged teenagers, intimate partner violence and coercive control .
Wood, Marsha, and Barter, Christine, and Berridge, David
[London]: NSPCC, 2011
Research report from the University of Bristol and the NSPCC looking at intimate partner violence in the relationships of disadvantaged young people. Focuses on the experiences of young people outside mainstream education, young mothers, young offenders, young people living in residential care and young people at risk of sexual exploitation. Findings are compared with a larger study of young people in mainstream schools which provided a picture of the incidence and impact of teenage partner violence in Great Britain.
Children and families experiencing domestic violence: police and children's social services' responses.
Stanley, Nicky, and Miller, Pam, and Foster, Helen Richardson, and Thomson, Gill
London: NSPCC, 2010
NSPCC research examining the process of police notifications to children's social services of domestic violence incidents where children are involved and the subsequent service pathways followed by families brought to the attention of children's social services in this way. Looks at experiencing domestic violence and using services (young people's, survivors' and perpetrators' views), domestic violence incidents, police intervention in incidents, children's social services receiving and responding to notifications, subsequent interventions and outcomes, inter-agency work from the perspective of children's social services and innovative practice. Includes recommendations for practice.Partner exploitation and violence in teenage intimate relationships.
Barter, Christine, and McCarry, Melanie, and Berridge, David, and Evans, Kathy
[London]: NSPCC, 2009
NSPCC research examining the incidence and impact of teenage partner violence in Great Britain. Involved a survey of 1353 young people, aged between 13-17, and interviews with 91 young people. Findings include: violence in intimate relationships is a significant child welfare problem; girls reported a greater incidence of experiencing violence; young participants were as likely as older adolescents to experience violence. Factors for experiencing and instigating violence included child maltreatment, domestic violence and aggressive peer networks. Girls with an older partner had the highest levels of victimisation. Young people either told a friend or no one about the violence.Children's and young people's experiences of domestic violence involving adults in a parenting role (PDF).
Worrall, Anne, and Boylan, Jane, and Roberts, Diane
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
London: Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), 2008
Research briefing focusing on the experiences of children and young people (under the age of 18 years) of domestic violence between those adults who have, or previously held a parental role towards them. Discusses the impact of domestic violence on children, the level of awareness that children have of domestic violence within their home, coping methods and the provision of services.
I can't tell people what is happening at home: domestic abuse within South Asian communities: the specific needs of women, children and young people.
Izzidien, Shayma
[London]: NSPCC, 2008
Examines the experiences and support needs of South Asian women, children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse, the barriers that deter them from seeking help and the gaps in current service provision. Draws on the findings from existing literature on the subject as well as interviews with service providers in England and Wales and data from NSPCC helpline services. Findings point to a need for a more targeted and culturally-appropriate approach to responding to the specific issues and barriers that exist in these communities.
Literature review: better outcomes for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse: directions for good practice (PDF).
Humphreys, Cathy, and Houghton, Claire, and Ellis, Jane
Edinburgh: Scottish Government, 2008
ISBN: 9780755958023
A review of the research evidence on children, young people and domestic abuse. Provides evidence from children and young people themselves, their perspectives on domestic abuse, what helps or does not help, and their solutions. Provides evidence that for children to be safe there needs to be: multi-agency collaboration; a focus on intervention with perpetrators; linked but separate protection of children and their mothers. Highlights the need for services: for pregnant women and infants; to strengthen the mother/child relationship; for informal, individual and group support.
The support needs of children and young people who have to move home because of domestic abuse: research report (PDF).
Stafford, Anne, Stead, Joan, Grimes, Marian, Scottish Women's Aid and University of Edinburgh/NSPCC Centre for UK-wide Learning in Child Protection (CLiCP)
Edinburgh: Scottish Women's Aid, [2008]
Explores the views, experiences and support needs of 30 children and young people who had to move home because of domestic abuse. Outlines research on domestic abuse and policy in Scotland. Presents findings interspersed with drawings by the young participants. Discusses available support from peers and family to agencies and organisations. Includes recommendations for improving services.
Behind closed doors: the impact of domestic violence on children (PDF).
New York: UNICEF, 2006
Reports on findings from global research which suggests that the experience of watching, hearing or otherwise being aware of domestic violence can impact on children's physical, emotional and social development, both during childhood and later in life. Findings also suggest that children who live with domestic violence not only endure the distress of being surrounded by violence, but are more likely to become victims of abuse themselves.
Search the NSPCC Library catalogue using the subject term family violence to find more resources on domestic violence
Contact the NSPCC Information Service for specialist information on domestic violence or any child protection topic
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